Normally, ultrasound flow meters suited for measuring a fluid flow in connection with charging of a consumed quantity (e.g. heat, cooling, water or gas) will have a housing, which can be metallic or polymeric, with a cavity in the form of a through-going hole for receiving a fluid flow to be measured. Connection means to other fluid flow elements are present in each of the housing ends.
In the housing a number of ultrasound transducers are installed for measuring the velocity of the fluid flow. In most flow meters two ultrasound transducers are used for sending, respectively receiving, an ultrasound signal, but versions with one ultrasound transducer, as well as versions with more than two ultrasound transducers, are seen. Furthermore, a measurement circuit, i.e. an electronic circuit for operation of the ultrasound transducers, is typically mounted in a separate enclosure and fastened to the housing. Most often the electronic circuit is implemented on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB).
The ultrasound transducers can be electrically connected to the electronic control circuit in various ways. Common methods being soldering ends of connection wires onto the ultrasound transducers directly and onto the PCB respectively, or using a plug connection between the same. However, one common problem with prior art ultrasound flow meters is that, during manufacturing, it is required that the flow meter is completely assembled before a meaningful test of the flow meter can be performed. Species that fail in such test procedure are thus revealed at a late state in the manufacturing process, and thus assembly time is wasted for such species.